Decline of Interpersonal Communication and Spirituality

One of the most frustrating things about the dramatic increase in the rise of social networking devices/programs such as cell phones, MSN, and facebook is the inevitable decline of interpersonal communication. We are no longer required to talk to eachother face to face in order to maintain our relationships. The Bauman article discusses the rampant rise of individualism and the decline of meaningful, long-term relationships. He gives a few reasons for this phenomenon: 1) quantity is valued over quality (this includes relationships), 2) virtual relationships are easier to enter/exit, and 3) the idea that long-term relationships are a trap to avoid at all costs. We live in a world where we are always looking for our next immediate "entertainment fix", and unfortunately many people can't seem to find that excitement in meaningful relationships anymore.

Another result of the rise of virtual, network relationships is that communication is becoming more and more about organizing schedules and meet up times, or talking about what shows were watched on television the night before and less and less about the deeper and more significant things in life that we should be cherishing, but aren't. The less we think about existential issues in our lives, the less we learn about ourselves and the natural world around us. We need to get back into thinking about our soul and our place here on Earth and get back on the path to spiritual discovery.

Absolute: A form of activism in the education system

The following if an email I sent to Absolute; a very socially and globally conscious motivational entertainment organization who uses an exciting arrangement of entertainment media to captivate high school audiences and instill upon them messages of good morals, social responsibility, and the importance of the self. www.absolute.org.

These values compare nicely with some of Hannah Arendts' ideas. The need to use very fast-paced and highly visual presentations in order to maintain the attention of high school students, could be seen as a penetration of the mass entertainment culture into the sphere of education. Any group wishing to captivate the attentions of high school students, need to be aware of what it is that young people will respond to in terms of an entertaining presentation. The concept of action and the idea of actually doing something has to be stressed.

Here is the email I sent to Absolute:

Hello,

My name is W**** ***** and I'm writing this email as a response to the coincidental situation last night which brought me into contact with your organization's contact information. Last night I was part of a movement towards the universal and very realizable goal of abolishing poverty on this planet. I played guitar along with my band, The Very Excellent Goods, in the student center of McMaster University for the 'Stand Up and Make Poverty History' campaign. Halfway through our set, a woman approached our bass player and gave him a small sheet of paper with this email address along with a mailing address and the website name.

I did some research and watched some of your promotional videos. You seem like a very well organized and professional group of motivational leaders who are true believers in the causes that they are working towards. As time goes on, I begin to realize more and more that the best way to incite change is to do it using more intimate and personal forms of communication. It has to be exciting, captivating, and very visually stimulating. It has to be a spectacle that the audience can latch onto and derive meaning from. And above all, it has to leave a long lasting feeling of positivity and joy. We have to give these kids something to hope for. A happy person is someone who has hopes and goals to look forward to in the future and knows that through a combination of hard work and believing in yourself, you really can accomplish your dreams.

We find that music is one of the best and most accessible forms of communication. The medium is the message, so to speak. Music is a universal communicator and everyone can find something to appreciate about positive, meaningful music. The messages contained within the music will be inspirational and thought provoking. The spectacle will be entertaining and energetic. Some of my fondest high school memories are actually the times when we would get really good motivational speakers in to come talk to us, and I think it's so neat to combine that with professional live music and a much more visual show.

I am going to gather together a band resume and will send it to your mailing address which was given to me last night. Thank for your time! Take care,

W*** ******

-I'm currently awaiting a response.

Social Activism and Entertainment

We sure have had some interesting classes as of late. I love this whole idea of pushing the boundaries of our conventional education and taking the course in new and unique directions. It seems very fitting that a course about social activism should take this non-conventional avenue. I enjoyed out time with "quasi" activist Jon; he had some neat ideas and definitely a good drive. I thought he tended to blame a lot of societies problems on this all encompassing "government" who seemed to be out to get everyone but he sure has charisma.

One of the ideas I was left with is how much we depend on entertainment in our lives. These days, we won't walk halfway across the room unless there's some kind of entertainment value in it for us. It seems silly to say but I would recomend to Jon that if his campaign is going to succeed, he had better make it darn entertaining in the process.

Recovering the full range of human power.

After reading the article Debord, Cybersituations, and the Interactive Spectacle, I began to look around me and realize how much the "spectacle" has invaded our everyday lives and how much most of us actually do not even realize it. It is very easy to look at a culture that is not your own and to point out what is right and what is wrong. However, I believe it is much more difficult to step back and take a look at one's own culture and to criticize it. So much of what we do, we simply do not question because it is "normal" and it is the way it is. Especially once something like the spectacle has pervaded every aspect of our lives, it is almost impossible to discern the spectacle, from the natural. Our life has become an accumulation of spectacles and we don't even realize it!

One of the points the article makes is that the idea of the spectacle as a tool of pacification that stupefies social subjects and distracts them from the most urgent tasks of real life. I believe that the only way to break free of this subtle but very real form of control, is to consciously put yourself into situations where you are acting on your own accord and creating your own situations. Get out of the city and go camping for the weekend, or stay in with your friends playing cards instead of going to the bar. Get together with musicians and jam, sing, and create your own music! humans are capable of far more than the average person realizes. Through revolutionary change, we need to recover the full range of human power.